• The greyhound is Can Grande della Scala, Lord of Verona, Imperial Vicar, Ghibelline, and friend of Dante. Verona is between Feltro in the Marca Trivigiana, and Montefeltro in Romagna. Boccaccio, Decameron , I 7, speaks of him as “one of the most notable and magnificent lords that had been known in Italy, since the Emperor Frederick the Second.” To him Dante dedicated the Paradiso . Some commentators think the Veltro is not Can Grande, but Ugguccione della Faggiola. See Troya, Del Veltro Allegorico di Dante . ↩
• The plains of Italy, in contradistinction to the mountains; the humilemque Italiam of Virgil, Aeneid , III 522:⁠— “And now the stars being chased away, blushing Aurora appeared, when far off we espy the hills obscure, and lowly Italy.” ↩
• I give preference to the reading, Di quegli antichi spiriti dolenti . ↩
• Beatrice. ↩